The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13)

THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS

(MARK 1:12-13)
A. FIRST CONTACT WITH THE TEXT
What does the Greek verb exballein mean in this context? Why does the Spirit push him to the desert? Does the expression 40 days have any special meaning? Who is Satan in the Bible? What was Satans test about? What does the expression he was with animals mean? How did the angels look after Jesus? Why? What is the connection of this story with the previous two? Was Jesus only tempted at this point or later he was tested as well?

B. THE TEXT WITHIN THE CONTEXT

Mark 1:1-8: John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah; Mark 1:9-11: Jesus is baptized, filled with the Spirit, and called beloved son of God. Mark 1:12-13: Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the desert, where he is tempted by Satan and served by angels. Mark 1:14-15: After Johns arrest, Jesus began to preach the good news: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (v. 15). We can see clearly the connection between the stories of Mark 1:1-13: everything moves around Jesus. We also realized that Jesus does not perform any activity, he receives the actions from others: he is called the stronger one, he is baptized, he is filled with the Spirit, he is called Son of God, he is pushed into the desert, he was put to the test, he was served This means he is not ready for action yet, this is a preparation time or training; when he will be ready to act, then he will start his mission.

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) And this happens in Mark 1:14-15: After Johns arrest, he began to preach At baptism, he was filled with the Spirit, then he overcame the power of the devil, now is ready to begin Gods mission for him.

C. STUDY OF THE TEXT

1. CHARACTERS OF THE STORY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP SPIRIT: Drives Jesus into the desert (v. 12). Jesus does not want to go (John chose to live in the desert, Jesus did not), but he is forced by the Spirit and because Jesus is possessed by the Spirit, he cannot resist his power and command (this is the meaning of the verb exballein). It reminds us of the prophets of the OT: they did not want to preach a message of destruction and death to the people of Israel, but God forced them to do so against their will (example: Jeremiah 20:7-9). JESUS: He stayed in the desert for 40 days He does not perform any action he is passive and let others act on him, but no reaction from him. SATAN: He puts Jesus to the test. What does the Bible say about Satan? - In the OT the name Satan comes from the verb satan which means accuse, slander or be an adversary. Therefore, Satan is the accuser, the slander or the adversary. - In the OT, there are two kinds of Satan: a) the earthly one: the military enemies of Israel, those who threaten their peace and happiness; b) heavenly one: the wicked character who deceives or tempts you to do sin and evil. - In the NT, Satans name appears often (35 times) and also with the Greek name of diabolos (devil = 32 times). There are other names that emphasize his power over people or his evil nature. - Satan, in the NT, has also limitations: a) God is more powerful than him and will judge him; b) his power over some people can be broken; c) We can resist his temptations as Jesus did; d) his plans can be discovered - Mark prefers to use the Hebrew name Satan, not the Greek one diabolos (Mk 1:13; 3:23.26; 4:15; 8:33). He is the enemy of Jesus by putting him to the 2

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) test, tempting him: Mark does not inform about the nature and content of his temptations. In the Bible, the word temptation normally has two meanings: a) Testing someone by putting the person in a very difficult situation (example: the life of Job; Abrahams sacrifice of Isaac; Israel in the desert); b) Pushing someone to sin or do evil (Cain and Abel and here). WILD ANIMALS: In the Bible, the desert is filled with dangerous animals who work for the evil forces (Satan) to harm human beings (Psalm 91; Ezekiel 34:5.8.25). In our case, Mark uses the Greek preposition met, which suggests that Jesus was living peacefully among them. There is no trace of violence, fear, threat, or danger in the episode; they are just Jesus companions. This peace and harmony between humans and wild beasts was only found at the moment of the creation of the world (Genesis 1:29-30; 2:19-20). Later, at the time of the prophets, the harmony between humans and wild animals was the signal of the age of salvation, Gods new creation (Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:17-25; Hosea 2:18). Therefore, Jesus peaceful coexistence with the wild animals declares the proximity of the age of salvation when Gods liberation will arrive to the wilderness and harmony will be established within creation according to Isaiahs promise. From this perspective, Jesus becomes the new Adam who faces temptation while living peacefully with wild animals, but resists the attacks of Satan by being obedient to God. ANGELS: Heavenly beings (Gods messengers) who take care of Jesus physical needs (service: food and drink) during his 40 days in the desert. In Matthew, instead, they appeared and cared for him after his forty days of fasting and temptations. This is the chart of the relationship among the characters of the story:

Angels (service) l Obedience l Desert SPIRIT ------------------- JESUS ----------------------- 40 DAYS l wild animals (company) l 3

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) Satan (temptation)

2. LOCATION OF THE STORY THE DESERT: No specific location; somewhere in the desert of Judea, near the Jordan River (near Jericho?). This story does not want to emphasize the desert as a geographical place; on the contrary, it wants to underline its symbolical meaning: place to meet God or place of temptation.

3. TIME OF THE STORY General temporal reference: the Greek word euzis meaning: "at once, immediately, right away. Mark uses this term very often. It means that after Jesus baptism, without delay, he was pushed to the desert by the Spirit. There is no time to waste there is a mission waiting for him. Specific temporal reference: he remained 40 days in the desert. Why 40 days? This expression has a rich background in the OT: - The flooding: rain for 40 days and nights (Genesis 7:4.12.17); - The covenant: Moses on Sinai mountain for 40 days and nights without any food and drink (Exodus 24:18; 34:28); - Elijahs escape from the king: walked through the desert for 40 days and nights without food and water (1 Kings 19:4-8); - Exodus: Israel walked through the Sinai desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:2; 29:4-5). In Mark, Jesus 40 days in the desert does not include the idea of fasting, but highlights the time he needed to be ready for his mission, time of preparation, a spiritual retreat The number 40 in Israel has a symbolic meaning: Jesus stayed all the time he needed to prepare for his future task. It could be one day, a week, three months not just 40 days.

4. CENTRAL THEMES OF THE STORY Jesus is forced by the Spirit to go into the desert: it is a necessary experience for those who will prepare for Gods mission. It is a

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) kind of test where he must show that his readiness and qualification to do it. The first experience of the desert: the temptation of Satan: Mark does not say what the temptation was about, probably in order to emphasize that there were many, but all related to giving up Gods will or mission. Jesus defeats the devil and his temptations anyway. But he will face temptations all the days of his life, not just at the beginning of his public ministry. The second experience: Jesus with the company of wild animals. It is the symbol of the proximity of the new time of salvation when God will bring harmony and peace back to the creation according to the word of Isaiah (Adam-Christ: the new creation; Jesus the new Adam). The third experience: The angels serving Jesus. He is not fasting; Gods angels bring everything he needs to stay healthy: food and water. In other words, God takes care of him through his angels.

5. COMMUNICATION OF THE STORY Mark tells the story very fast, no descriptions; he goes straight to the facts. He wants to end this introduction fast so he can concentrate in Jesus teachings and actions. 6. REASONS FOR THE STORY TO HAPPEN The story happens because God, through his Spirit, wants it: even though Jesus is Gods beloved son, he still has to show his readiness and capacity for fulfilling his mission: he needs a spiritual retreat in the desert. In the desert, he will have to face Satans temptations: Jesus shows his readiness by overcoming them.

7. RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE STORY The Spirit pushed Jesus into the desert: spiritual retreat. The focus of the story is not on the temptation, but on being in the desert or wilderness. During his time there, he experienced and overcame Satans temptations. He felt the harmony of the creation: people and animals lived in peace. He experienced Gods providence and care for him through his angels.

D. LITERARY STRUCTURE AND GENRE (FORM) OF THE TEXT

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The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13)

1. LITERARY STRUCTURE OF THE TEXT The literary structure of the episode is quite simple. The emphasis falls on the actions of the characters:

SPIRIT JESUS (40 days - desert) Satan Wild Animals (Temptation) (Company) Angels (Service)

2. GENRE OR FORM OF THE TEXT Marks story focuses on the idea of preparation or training for a mission entrusted by God; temptation is a small part of it (the opposite of Matthew and Luke). This training happens in the desert, where he will have different experiences, good and bad alike: - Overcome Satans temptations; - Experience the harmony and peace of Creation (Jesus=New Adam); - Enjoy Gods providence and care: angels service.

E. THE TEXT WITHIN ITS HISTORICAL TIME

What is Mark telling his Roman community with this story? - They will face many temptations (abandon the faith; forget about Gods mission; follow their own way) during their time of persecution and suffering, so they must be strong and ready to overcome them like Jesus did. Do not give in to Satan! - They have been baptized in Christ, so they are part of this new creation that follows Gods will (no sin or disobedience = the opposite of Adam).They will help Jesus to bring peace and harmony to the world, like in the Garden of Eden before the fall. - They will experience Gods care and providence in their daily life: he will send his angels to take care and protect them from danger. 6

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13)

Mark 1:12-13 also appears in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13; not found in Johns gospel. These are some important conclusions from them: - Elements found in the three gospels: the Spirit led Jesus to the desert, where he stayed forty days being tempted by the devil. - Mark and Matthew call the devil Satan and the angels serve Jesus. - Matthew and Luke describe the temptations and Jesus responses. - Only Mark mentions the presence of the wild animals which means that it is a very important fact in the story.

F. VERIFICATION OF THE RESULTS G. THEOLOGICAL PRESENTATION

Mark 1:12-13 is the last story of this short introduction or presentation of Jesus life before his public ministry. His preparation happened in three different and progressive stages: a) the coming of the Messiah; b) Jesus baptism; Jesus training in the desert by resisting the attacks of the devil. Marks story is very short if compared with that of Matthew and Luke (only two verses). Mark does not describe the contents of the temptations of Jesus, while Matthew and Luke describe three different ones. This means that Marks emphasis is not on the temptations themselves, but on the other elements of the story. It also means that he does not want to reduce the temptations to three and that they may happen during Jesus whole life, not only at this specific time. Since the beginning we realize that is the Spirit who obliges Jesus to go to the desert (Greek verb exballein): Jesus has no choice but going, the power of the Spirit is too strong to resist. It means that this is a necessary experience for Jesus in order to prepare himself for his future mission. The outcome of this test will show his capacity and readiness for the task. Here, the desert does not symbolize the place of temptation, but the solitary place where Jesus, far from the people, can be on his own and get close to God. Temptation is only one of the things that happened during his time in the desert.

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) Jesus must spend 40 days in the desert. This is not a literal number, but a symbolical one. It means the necessary time to complete his training. It could be 40 days or 30 During that time, he had to face the attacks of Satan, tempting him to abandon Gods project in order to follow his own. Satan, the prince of darkness and evil, is always looking for new ways to trick and deceive us It is really important to be alert at all times in order to overcome his temptations. It is decision time: God or Satan. On the other hand, Jesus can also feel the harmony and peace of the creation: he is in the middle of wild animals and they do not harm him. This image is taken from the story of creation and suggests that Jesus is the new Adam who will bring the creation to fulfillment. Jesus did not sin, overcame Satans temptation, in order bring peace and harmony to the sinful world. Jesus is not hungry or thirsty during this spiritual retreat in the desert; he has Gods angels at his service and they provide for all his physical needs. In the desert, Jesus can experience Gods providence, love, and care. He feels fully protected by his heavenly Father. The story has no specific end, it is opened. Mark did not tell us what Jesus did after his experience in the desert or where did he go After reading the story, Jesus is still in the desert. Jesus experience of the baptism and of the desert is a ritual of initiation for his mission. These are the steps he must follow in order to prepare himself. He passed them, so now he is ready. He should begin to act

H. MESSAGE FOR US TODAY (ACTUALIZATION)

LETS GO TO THE DESERT! The desert is the place where we can easily talk and listen to God. In there we can here his voice and his mission for us in the world: Do I pray often? Do I listen to Gods voice when he talks to me? Do I know what Gods mission

The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13) for me is, today? Is my present life what God wants me to do in the world? DO NOT BE AFRAID, FACE YOUR TEMPTATIONS! Our reaction to temptations tells us about the importance of Gods word and others in my daily life. Our response to them also reveals who we are and how serious we are about our faith: Have you ever experience temptations in your life meaning inclination to sin or do evil? What are the most common temptations people suffer today? What are my temptations? How do I react to my temptations? Do I often fall into temptation or can I resist it? Do I feel Gods help and protection in times of temptation or I feel alone? What is the best way to overcame temptations? If I see someone being tested (suffering temptations), do I offer my help? HELP BRING PEACE AND HARMONY TO OUR WORLD: God sent Jesus to the world to teach us to live in love, peace, and harmony with all the part creation: Do I show respect and care for Gods creation (trees, mountains, rivers, animals, air, people)? Do I protest against those who do not care about the world we live in? Wherever I go, do people see in me a symbol of peace and harmony? Do I bring peace and harmony to my world: family, work, friends, church? EXPERIENCE GODS LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU: Do I believe God loves and cares for me? Can I feel his presence and love especially in times of temptation or problems? What do I think about service? How do I serve God or others? What do I prefer to serve or be served by others? Tell the story of the tracks on the sand

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The Temptations of Jesus (Mk 1:12-13)

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